Huge Canadian type 2 diabetes study

A large-scale Canadianstudy has found that combining Avandia (Rosiglitazone maleate) with low-doses of Metformin is more effective at significantly decreasing A1C levels when compared to Meformin on its own.

The tried method involves maximising the dose of metformin in a practice known as metformin monotherapy. The new combined therapy is an effective method to ensure type 2 diabetics keep their blood sugar levels strictly under control. The study further highlighted the fact that adding rosiglitazone to a diabetes therapy programme actually decreased levels of hypoglycaemia.

The study was entitled DICE (Diabetes in Canada Evaluation) and revealed that around 50 per cent of type 2 diabetes patients in Canada do not have their blood sugar levels under control. This leaves them at serious risk of developing complications including kidney, heart and eye diseases.

One of the key authors of the study, an expert in Endocrinology, summed up the study by stating that: "These study findings are exciting because the results offer physicians relevant evidence for a therapeutic strategy that helps even a relatively well controlled patient achieve stringent blood sugar targets safely and effectively."

Rosiglitazone is not considered suitable for all patients, however, and can cause severe side-effects. The study was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.